We've upgraded the server's mapping software to the latest version, for faster and less laggy map generation. Unfortunately the live player positions will be unavailable for a few days while we transfer over. On the plus side, you can now read signs on the map! For example:

Since the 1.4 update, our server has been spending more time down than up. Currently it is down while we set up new hosting, as our current server machine is expensive to run and zero donations have been received, making it financially non-viable to continue. We apologize for this situation and for the downtime, which aside from the lack of funding is also caused by the frequency of mod-breaking updates that Minecraft goes through.

I'd like to share this informative graphic with you, explaining what happens when Minecraft updates:

Currently our Minecraft servers are down after the 1.4 update. Unfortunately TerrorBite does not have much time available due to university studies, but is working to bring our servers back in his spare time. Please be patient!

Meanwhile, we've made a proposal for the Survival server that will be coming online soon. To see it, click "Survival Server" in the sidebar and don't forget to comment on the forums to let us know what you think, or to make suggestions.

Welcome back! After some considerable downtime, we're bringing the server back with a new world in readiness for Minecraft 1.5.

The new server is currently "in beta", so please excuse any bugs and issues as we work them out. The world (excluding the Nether) will stay into 1.5, so don't worry about that. We simply ask that you be patient while we sort out the issues and make improvements.

So why the downtime? Both CyberKitsune and I (TerrorBite) have had personal issues affecting our lives recently, that have taken time away from our duties. A Minecraft update came out, requiring a server update, complicated by some major changes that Bukkit (the server mod we use) had made. Neither of us were up to the task, and our server remained on the old version for a while before eventually shut it down with the intention of updating. That never happened, until now.

We apologise for the downtime and we don't intend to let it happen again. Our problems are behind us and we look forward to a future of Minecrafting!

After over two months of running our not-so-temporary Tempworld, we're finally almost at the point of bringing back our main Freebuild world. A lot of people have asked what is going to happen to Tempworld, since a lot of work has been done on there and nobody wants to lose it. After a lot of thinking about what is best for our users, we've decided.

Currently Tempworld runs as an unmodified Survival server. We're going to bring Tempworld in as part of our Freebuild server, accessible via portal, with all protections and enhancements applying. This means it will no longer run as Survival - however all existing structures will be preserved and you can continue to build. It will also be a lot better protected against the griefing that has been occurring there lately. NOTE - it's proving impossible to transfer people's inventories over to Freebuild in our testing, so keep all Tempworld valuables in chests until we switch, so you will be able to retrieve them later.

We will also finally be starting a separate Survival server, with some griefing protections such as logging enabled. Since it's a new map, it will have all the features of the latest Beta update, including Lapis Lazuli ore and things not found in the regular world. We're also going to do our best to replicate the Nether on the new Survival server, meaning you can build your own portals, travel through them and build and harvest rare blocks in the Nether. No promises yet, but it should be possible.

We should have Freebuild up in about a week, assuming no delays. Survival ought to be up a few days after that.

And with it comes the usual chaos of bugs, broken features and the now-familiar Tempworld map that replaces our main Freebuild map while we wait for hMod to be updated. According to this post, hey0 is away until the 24th, so will not be able to release the Beta update until then. This means that our Tempworld map will likely remain up until the 24th.

Terris Leonisterrorbite@lethargiclion.netbetaishere2https://sites.google.com/feeds/content/lethargiclion.net/minecraft-smp/34397835351801771992011-01-12T11:36:08.559Z2016-09-02T22:11:21.796Z2011-01-12T11:49:23.634ZNew hardware on the way

A big thanks to KyrSidriss/Akyn, Inaki, Meltro, Muskie and our anonymous donators* (you know who you are). Thanks to your help, we have ordered the more powerful server hardware and we should be starting the migration process sometime within the next 48 hours, depending on circumstances. This process may take up to a week to complete, but will occur entirely behind-the-scenes and should not affect the server's availability at all.

Keep in mind that the monthly running costs of the server have increased as a direct result of the upgrade, from $79 a month to $149 a month. Any assistance in paying for this would be greatly appreciated.

On a personal note, many of you are probably aware of the catastrophic flooding in the city of Brisbane, Australia, where TerrorBite resides. Fortunately he has avoided the floodwaters and is currently spending a week out of state until things calm down.

*Any who donated anonymously but wish to have their name included in this news post and on the donations page, contact TerrorBite.

The long-awaited Survival server is finally up and running. There's a PvP area and everything.

Well, that only took a few months. Now to bring Freebuild back! (ETA: October, probably :P)

Terris Leonisterrorbite@lethargiclion.netfinally1https://sites.google.com/feeds/content/lethargiclion.net/minecraft-smp/46059611100211816012011-01-14T01:28:09.896Z2016-09-02T22:11:19.937Z2011-01-14T02:08:57.978ZhMod is dead. Long live Bukkit!

Hey0 has announced that he will not be continuing work on his server mod, known as hMod. This is what we use to administer our server. Unfortunately, there was a major Minecraft update today, forcing a server update. The old version of hMod is incompatible with the new software and refuses to run. We can run our server without hMod, but this means all protection against malicious users will be lost, putting your creations at risk of damage. We don't want this to happen. Additionally all "bonus features" like the gate system, minecart system and /jump command will be unavailable, since they rely on hMod.

Our usual way of coping with this situation (which has occurred before while waiting for hMod updates) is to launch an unmodded, "vanilla" server, which is running a different, temporary world. We reuse the same temp world each time this occurs, so that there is at least some familiarity. This is what we will be doing this time around as well, until the situation is resolved.

Fortunately, there is a light on the horizon. A new server mod called Bukkit has arrived on the scene, promising to be more efficient than hMod with even more features. They are currently working on making their first release, which should be compatible with the new update. We're hoping that Hey0 will update his existing mod to be compatible with the new update, however if this does not occur then we will need to wait until Bukkit is released.

We're taking advantage of the downtime to run a full re-render of our Google map of the Freebuild world. Once this is complete, you will see a much better-looking map, as the grass and tree color now changes between biomes just as it does in the actual game.

Total running time of the render will be about four days. It's been running for 24 hours already and is about a third of the way through rendering the chunks. Once that is complete, there is a second step as the chunks are composed together into maptiles. For updates, see this thread.